LaHood Gives Air Traffic Controllers Extra Hour of Rest, Opposes Breaktime Napping

AP

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, right, is shown here at a news conference in Allentown, Pa., March 4.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood on Sunday announced new safety changes for air traffic controllers after several of them were caught sleeping on the job, leaving pilots to land on their own. 

Among the changes, LaHood said the department will give controllers an extra hour of rest in between shifts. But he said he would not permit workers to take naps while on break, something other countries like Germany allow. 

"Controllers will not be paid to take naps," the secretary said. 

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," an animated LaHood said the schedule changes should make a difference, but stressed that the department would continue to fine-tune if necessary. He said that even as the department makes changes to the rules, air traffic controllers need to take more "personal responsibility" on the job. 

"I don't know when I've ever been madder. I'm outraged about this," LaHood said. "We're doing everything we can 24-7 to correct this problem." 

LaHood announced several key changes on "Fox News Sunday." He said air traffic controllers would be required to take at least nine hours off, instead of eight, between shifts, and managers would have to be more available in the late night and early morning hours. Controllers would also be prohibited from swapping shifts unless they adhere to the nine-hour buffer; and would not be able to switch into an unscheduled midnight shift after a day off. 

Controllers were known to set up schedules that crammed in a combination of evening, day and overnight shifts, separated by just two eight-hour rest periods. The schedule gave them a three-day weekend, but could, as recent incidents suggest, leave them vulnerable to fatigue. 

"We thought controllers really were getting the rest that they needed," LaHood said, when asked why the department didn't pick up on the problem earlier. 

The series of incidents involving sleeping air traffic controllers has raised questions about whether the problem has been going on for years, but LaHood said it's the first he's heard about it. He repeatedly said he's "mad" about the incidents and pledged a "top-to-bottom review" to correct it. 

The Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement after the interview that the changes had already been put in place and would be in full effect by week's end. 

The announcement is the administration's latest attempt to deal with the problem of dozing radar operators. Since March, there have been known instances of controllers falling asleep on duty at six U.S. airports. The latest, at Miami, occurred over the weekend. 

LaHood stressed that despite the changes, he would not allow air traffic controllers to take sleeping breaks during overnight shifts. That conflicts with the findings of a fatigue study -- the report on air traffic controllers, which has not yet been formally released, recommends allowing controllers to sleep on their breaks. 

Earlier, the FAA announced it would no longer permit single staffing at some airport towers during the overnight shift. The FAA chief in charge of air traffic controllers also resigned amid the controversy last week, as lawmakers called for changes in the system.

Over the next several weeks, transportation officials plan to visit air traffic offices across the country to review safety standards. 

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Air controllers to get more rest between shifts

The Federal Aviation Administration has acknowledged a widespread problem with tired controllers. In recent months there have been five instances of controllers dozing off while on duty. The latest happened early Saturday on a late-night shift in Miami.

STORY: Another air-traffic controller discovered sleeping on jobThe new rules will give controllers at least nine hours off between shifts, compared with eight now. Controllers won’t be able to swap shifts to get a long weekend unless there’s at least nine hours off from the end of one shift to the start of the other. More managers will be on duty during the early morning hours and at night to remind controllers that nodding off is unacceptable.

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New rules for air traffic controllers

STORY HIGHLIGHTSThe transportation secretary says the FAA and controllers' union agreed to changesThe changes will be implemented immediatelyControllers will now have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts Washington (CNN) -- Air traffic controllers are facing a slew of new rules aimed at preventing them from falling asleep while on duty, the government announced Sunday.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said the Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Traffic Controllers Union agreed to implement the changes effective immediately, following a series of recent incidents involving sleeping air traffic controllers.

Air traffic control staffing under scrutiny

Controllers will now have a minimum of nine hours off between shifts, instead of the current eight-hour minimum, LaHood said. That will apply when they swap shifts as well. Controllers can no longer be put on an unscheduled midnight shift following a day off.

FAA managers will schedule their own shifts in a way to ensure greater coverage in the early morning and late night hours as well, LaHood said.

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Records: Many air controllers are at risk of sleep, errors

show that 3,404 of the nation’s 15,475 controllers typically work the shift in a two-week pay period.

FAA records and reports, some of which date back years, also make clear the government has long been aware of the potential danger of fatigue among controllers working at night.

STORY: FAA's air traffic chief resignsSTORY: FAA to boost midnight staffing at 27 airport towersOne report, prepared just last month for the FAA and its controllers’ union, paints the danger in stark terms: It warns that working several midnight shifts in a row is so tough on people that they behave as if they’re too drunk to legally drive.

Fatigue has become a major issue for the nation’s 24-hour, air-traffic system. Six controllers since February have been caught or been suspected of sleeping on the job at night or early morning.

The most recent incident was Wednesday in Reno, where a medical plane landed shortly after 2 a.m. after failing to rouse anyone in the airport’s tower. On Thursday, the FAA announced the resignation of its air-traffic chief, Hank Krakowski.

A review of FAA reports and studies show that the potential for fatigue goes beyond a handful of controllers sleeping on the job. Tired controllers have made mistakes that nearly led to catastrophic collisions on runways, incident reports show.

The report last month for the FAA and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association reiterated the point.

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